After the System Called Me Mom, My Arch-Nemesis Omega Fell for Me - Chapter 46

Jingyun Winery was the combined property of Chang Xi’s equestrian center and Xie Fuyun’s vineyard.

In Beijing’s elite social circles, it was quite famous, a rare, private sanctuary where one could enjoy both the thrill of galloping on horseback and the taste of mellow, fragrant wine.

Chang Xi came out personally to greet them, her smile gentle. However, before they could exchange more than a few pleasantries, a well-dressed waiter stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Jiang Mingyue. “Miss Jiang, President Xie would like you to come to her office for a moment.”

Watching Jiang Mingyue’s retreating back as she followed the waiter, Lu Lingzhi instinctively reached out to grab her hand, but Chang Xi lightly took her arm and led her in the opposite direction.

“Little Mommy,” Lu Lingzhi couldn’t help but look back. “The Big Villain… why did she suddenly want to see Mingyue?”

Seeing her look so concerned, Chang Xi gave an understanding smile and patted the back of her hand. “Worried about Mingyue? It’s a good thing. And the reason I’m looking for you is a good thing, too.”

The two of them walked through a meticulously manicured flower garden and reached the open pasture.

The sunlight spilled over the lush green grass, and a warm breeze blew. A staff member led over a well-behaved, adorable little sika deer. The fawn’s fur was a warm brownish-tan dotted with bright white spots, its large, watery eyes scanning the surroundings with curiosity.

“Go on, touch it,” Chang Xi encouraged softly, giving Lu Lingzhi a gentle nudge forward.

Lu Lingzhi hesitated before reaching out, her fingertips carefully brushing the fawn’s soft nose. Instead of being afraid, the little sika deer nudged her palm affectionately with its warm nose and even licked her fingers with its soft tongue, letting out a tiny bleat.

She murmured, “I feel like it’s very familiar.”

Chang Xi walked to her side, her eyes filled with nostalgia and tenderness. “Do you remember when you were very, very young? We went on a trip, and you saw a sika deer at the zoo. You said you wanted to buy the whole zoo. Fuyun said it was impossible, and then you cried saying you wanted a deer. We really did find a way to get you a little fawn. You were so happy, you wanted to see it every single day.”

“Unfortunately, that little deer couldn’t adapt to the environment and didn’t last long. You cried so hard back then. This one here… is a descendant of that very deer.”

Just then, a staff member handed over a contract.

Chang Xi gave the contract to her. Lu Lingzhi looked down and saw it was a transfer agreement for the equestrian center.

Lu Lingzhi asked, “What is this?”

Chang Xi replied, “A gift for you. Didn’t you want a zoo when you were little? This private stable will be yours from now on. I remember you like riding horses, you said you like the taste of freedom and the romance of Paris.”

“You… you remembered everything.” Lu Lingzhi clutched the contract but quickly tried to decline. “It’s too valuable. Give it to my younger siblings in the future.”

Chang Xi didn’t want to argue about it.

She simply pushed the contract back gently and used a more tactful explanation: “How about this: keep these things for now for safekeeping. When I have children in the future, you can give it to your siblings then.”

Lu Lingzhi took it and signed. “Little Mommy, let me tell you, I did something incredibly cool yesterday. I got smart mattresses for free from the big star Pei Ying. Guess how many I ‘scammed’ out of her?”

Chang Xi thought to herself, one for herself, one for Jiang Mingyue, probably one for her sister and mothers back home in Yun City, and maybe one for herself and Xie Fuyun. There would likely be one more.

“Six?” Chang Xi guessed conservatively.

Lu Lingzhi shook her head triumphantly and held up both hands to show eight fingers, her voice rising with excitement. “Eight! Impressive, right? One of them will be delivered directly to your and Xie Fuyun’s villa in a couple of days!”

One of these smart mattresses cost 30,000 yuan.

That meant she had gotten 240,000 yuan worth of goods for free from Pei Ying.

“Impressive. Did you put a hex on Pei Ying, or did you hypnotize her?”

Lu Lingzhi put on an act. “That was my charm, it overwhelmed her.”

Chang Xi looked her up and down. “Indeed, very charming. So, can you tell me specifically which eight? Who are they for?”

“One each for me and Mingyue at Yuanshan Apartment; one for your villa. I might come to stay if our relationship improves, so one should be there. One for my home back in Yun City, one for my sister, one for my mothers to show my filial piety, and the last one… guess who I’m giving it to?”

Chang Xi couldn’t guess and was about to speak.

A flash of mischief appeared on Lu Lingzhi’s face. She was young, after all, and couldn’t quite mask her emotions. She said, “I plan to give it to Chairman Xie and his wife. A late National Day gift.”

“Why give it to Chairman Xie and Madam Xie?”

“Well… I’ve already met Xie Zhixia. There’s no way the Xie family doesn’t know I exist. I’ll send a gift first to test their attitude. If they accept it, that’s good. If not… I’ll just list it on Xianyu (second-hand market).”

“Lu Bao, you are simply the GOAT (yyds).”

“My little deer is dead! I don’t want it to die, I don’t want to bury it! Waaaah!” A young Lu Lingzhi was sobbing uncontrollably, holding the leash of a tiny sika deer that was the same height as her. “The little deer is so pitiful, it doesn’t have a mother anymore. If it hadn’t eaten my apple, it wouldn’t have gotten sick.”

“We won’t bury it, be good, baby.” Xie Fuyun picked up the little Lu Lingzhi and coaxed her gently. Little Lu Lingzhi buried her tear stained face deep into the crook of Xie Fuyun’s neck, which carried a faint fragrance. She sobbed, unconsciously seeking the most primitive comfort, murmuring, “Mommy… Mommy…”

Xie Fuyun’s body stiffened for a moment. She used her thumb to wipe away the child’s tears. “I am not your mother. You should call me Xie, Fu, Yun.”

The crying in her arms stopped. “…”

Little Lu Lingzhi looked up, her swollen eyes confused and aggrieved, seemingly not understanding why this person who granted her wishes wouldn’t be her mother.

“Then do you remember what your name is?”

“My name is Lu Lingzhi. I live in Yun City. I have a Mom and a Mommy, and an older sister, Lu Ningzhi. I have another home, a villa on the mountainside in Beijing. There are two elders I can’t call ‘Mom,’ two nannies at home, a butler, a driver, a gardener, a chef, a pastry chef, a nutritionist, a private doctor, a private vet, and also two sika deer. There is a safe at home, and the password is my birthday. Yesterday you hid a bag of gold beans in the vase in your study. The day before yesterday you hid a bag of diamonds in…”

“Alright.”

Her small hand grabbed Xie Fuyun’s collar, her tone suddenly becoming bossy and filled with childish possessiveness. “I have to share my Mom and Mommy’s love equally with my sister. I like you two more. You kiss me, lift me high, and spin me around. My sister doesn’t get that treatment.”

This childish declaration that love is exclusive, left Xie Fuyun with mixed feelings.

Xie Fuyun held her, patting her to sleep as she walked around the room. Just as she put her on the bed, she asked, “Shall I send you home?”

“Waaaah, you don’t want me anymore!” Little Lu Lingzhi squirmed, wrapping herself into a cocoon like a silkworm and ignoring Xie Fuyun. “This is my home. I’ve lived here for many years.”

Actually, many times, Xie Fuyun had been thinking and struggling.

Should she?

Would she?

Should she bring the child to her side to raise?

Chang Xi walked in, picked up the little Lu Lingzhi from the bed, and spun her around several times until she giggled, then wiped her tears. “If she doesn’t want to go back, she doesn’t have to. The educational resources in Beijing are definitely better than in Yun City. It’ll be easier to get into university later. Lu Bao, I made strawberry waffles.”

Chang Xi used a fork to pick up a strawberry to feed Lu Lingzhi. Lu Lingzhi said, “You eat it, you eat it.”

Chang Xi patted her head dotingly and was about to put the strawberry in her mouth.

At that moment, a secretary ran over and immediately snatched the fork away. “You can’t eat that!”

She explained hurriedly, “Miss Xie, Miss Chang, the vet determined that the apple in the little deer’s stomach was poisoned. I also detected poison in the strawberries and apples bought this morning. I suspect someone is trying to poison the Little Miss and Miss Chang.”

Before Lu Lingzhi was five, Xie Fuyun had never thought about seizing the Taiyu Group.

But at that moment, the thought occurred to her.

Xie Fuyun pulled Lu Lingzhi over. “Tell me, what do we do if someone bullies you?”

Little Lu Lingzhi grabbed her collar and took a bite out of her face. “If you bully me, I’ll beat you to death. I’ll take Chang Xi away and not give her to you.”

Xie Fuyun wiped the saliva off her face with a tissue. She wasn’t angry, she flicked the girl’s nose and bumped their foreheads together. “You really are fierce. Why are you so fierce?”

Little Lu Lingzhi tugged at her tie and replied, “Who told you to bully me? Who told you to not want me? I have to let you know how powerful I am.”

If she and Chang Xi lived peacefully and stayed away from the world, yet were still disturbed while raising Lu Lingzhi…

Then, they would change their way of living.

“President Xie, Madam Fang has arrived.”

The assistant’s voice pulled Xie Fuyun back from her distant memories.

Madam Fang was a close friend of her sister-in-law, the current young mistress of the Xie family.

Her sister-in-law was Xie Zhixia’s mother.

Presumably, she was here on behalf of the sister-in-law to test the waters regarding her daughter.

Xie Fuyun suppressed the emotions in her eyes, stood up, and walked toward the reception room.

She saw Madam Fang standing before a vibrantly colored oil painting with her daughter, Fang Yuan.

Seeing her enter, Madam Fang immediately piled on a smile and praised, “President Xie’s painting skills are becoming more exquisite. The brushstrokes are bold, and the colors are full of imagination. You truly are an outstanding representative of modern Impressionism.”

Beside her, Fang Yuan looked at the canvas with a slight look of confusion. The creature depicted looked like a deer but wasn’t a deer, like a unicorn but wasn’t a unicorn, surrounded by dreamlike spots of light as if draped in stars.

President Xie was a well-known artist in their circles.

She collected many famous paintings and loved all kinds of jewelry and diamonds. She was also a prominent Impressionist painter, the vice president of the National Artists Association, skilled at piano, and could even play music on a leaf. She was a national equestrian champion, a famous philanthropist, a professor at Beijing University.

“Madam Fang overpraises me. That was painted by my daughter when she was five years old,” Xie Fuyun’s voice rang out coldly.

Madam Fang’s face stiffened. “Your daughter showed such amazing artistic talent at such a young age. A promising future, a promising future indeed.”

Xie Fuyun’s gaze swept over the painting indifferently. “Madam Fang, if you don’t know how to give a compliment, you needn’t force it. My daughter is a Realist, not an Impressionist.” She raised her hand and pointed toward a softly lit corner of the room. “Look over there.”

Everyone’s gaze followed, and they couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

Standing there was a massive, custom glass display case. Inside, a 3D-printed sika deer stood still, incredibly lifelike.

On the deer’s head was a meticulously installed pearlescent unicorn horn, and around its body were countless tiny star lights emitting a soft, dreamlike glow.

Xie Fuyun didn’t feel like beating around the bush and cut straight to the chase: “What did you come to see me for?”

Madam Fang adjusted her expression, trying to make her tone sound aggrieved yet polite. “President Xie, it’s like this. My daughter was locked in a… by your daughter at school…”

Xie Fuyun interrupted her directly. “Madam Fang, please get your facts straight regarding my daughter’s age before you speak. Do you think I am old enough to have a daughter in university?”

Madam Fang was choked by this blunt retort, momentarily at a loss for words. “Uh, this…”

Xie Fuyun pressed the advantage. She questioned, “Are you implying that Chang Xi and I behaved improperly during our university years? If we had really done that, I’m afraid the whole city would have known long ago. It wouldn’t be your turn to come and ask me today.”

The rumor that Xie Fuyun had a daughter started with an old paparazzi photo.

Because Xie Fuyun and Chang Xi were too good at hiding things and had wiped all of Lu Lingzhi’s information, the rest of the Xie family couldn’t find anything.

Chairman Xie had been called an “old fogey” by Lu Lingzhi after the live stream.

He immediately turned to settle scores with Chang Xi and Xie Fuyun. Useless things, can’t even teach a child properly. He found that Xie Fuyun had blocked him, and he didn’t have Chang Xi on WeChat.

In a fit of pique, he sent a red packet worth over 100,000 yuan in the family group chat.

He sent the money purely because he was driven mad by Lu Lingzhi. He was first called an “old fogey” and then permanently blocked. In his humiliation and anger, he developed a childish mentality: “I’m not spending this money on you. I’ll give it to others.”

Later, he realized that if he sent money in the group, Lu Lingzhi wouldn’t even see it.

The old man aloofly exited the group chat.

Then he saw Xie Zhixia trending for wanting to dance “Swan Lake” at the Grand Theater, and he cursed a few more times in his heart. Embarrassing. Instead of being the eldest daughter of the Xie family, she insists on being an actress.

Then he received the smart mattress from Lu Lingzhi.

Because of this, he showed it off on his social feed and sent a message in the family group.

Under the influence of their own information bubbles, the rest of the Xie family began to fill in the blanks:

Xie Fuyun has a child. The old man likes them. They are a top-tier AO with blue eyes, and they pose a threat to the position of the eldest daughter, Xie Zhixia.

Madam Fang was stunned by Xie Fuyun’s words: Please get your facts straight regarding my daughter’s age. and If I had messed around in university, the city would have known.

She quickly did the math in her head. Xie Fuyun is not yet forty. Even at forty, if she graduated at 23 and immediately had a child, the child would be 17 at most.

Considering reality, the child might be thirteen or fourteen, in middle or high school, where they would be under heavy supervision. How could they skip class to lock up her daughter?

Madam Fang’s face turned a kaleidoscope of colors, so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

Her purpose for coming wasn’t really to demand justice anyway.

Even if it were true that Xie Fuyun’s daughter had locked her daughter up, knowing her own daughter’s spoiled personality, there was likely a reason for it. Her true intention was to see what the girl looked like so she could report back to her best friend (the Young Mistress of the Xie family).

Because her daughter had indeed described being locked up by someone.

The most distinctive feature of the person was their deep blue eyes and an aura of an Alpha of at least A-grade or higher.

Madam Fang apologized quickly, her tone awkward. “I’m sorry, President Xie. It was impulsive of me; I didn’t verify the situation properly.”

Just then, the assistant entered again. “President Xie, Miss Jiang has arrived.”

Madam Fang said, “Since President Xie has business, we will take our leave.”

“Wait.” Xie Fuyun’s cold voice rang out, instantly freezing the Fang mother and daughter as they were about to turn away. Her gaze bypassed the flustered Madam Fang and landed on Fang Yuan, who was trying to minimize her presence. “Fang Yuan.”

Fang Yuan.

Being called out by name.

Fang Yuan felt like she had been pulled back to her student days, facing a disciplinary director in class. Her whole body stiffened, her blood seemed to freeze, and her breath hitched. She didn’t dare look up.

Xie Fuyun’s gaze lingered on her briefly, then she looked further away. “Miss Fang, wait a moment.”

At that moment, from the corner of her eye, Fang Yuan saw the office door being pushed open silently, and a graceful figure walked in. Fang Yuan instinctively focused her gaze, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

Jiang Mingyue.